Lenn en Ambar  Journey of Fate
by TheTwilightMoon
Summary: Warning: This is a Mary-Sue story. If you don't like don't read. When Kayla Harris is magically sent into Middle-Earth, how can she possibly survive the epic journey that awaits  her, and how can she save the man she loves from his fate? BoromirxOC
1. I Never Knew Wishing Stars Actually Work

**A/N: Okay here is my first attempt (after years) of a "Lord of the Rings" fanfiction. THIS IS A TOTAL MARY-SUE STORY, SO IF YOU HATE DO NOT READ IF YOU MEAN ONLY TO FLAME. As I state in one of my other Mary-Sue stories, who wouldn't want to be thrown into their favourite world? I know I would! :) That being said, please R&R and enjoy! This is purely fan written. I take no credit for any of the characters, places or events from the books and movies. The only credit I take is Kayla, who is my Mary-Sue. I also apologize for her ranting in the beginning. She is a sad sad teenager; at the start anyway. This was written rather fast, but I hope it is worth the read! Hehe...this'll be fun. Enjoy! **

Chapter One

I Never Knew Wishing Stars Actually Work!

_Sometimes I really hated life. One minute, you're super happy, and the next you wish you were dead. That's how my life was; nearly 24/7. But this never came as a surprise, since I was a senior in high school now. The past three years had really been hard for me. I had had to make new friends about three times over, finding out continuously who I could and could not trust, over and over again. In the past three years, I had lost and gained so many friends that it made my head spin. I mean sure now I was pretty sure I had stable friends, but they were all moving to different cities after graduation, and me? Well I'm stuck here; stuck going to a university I never wanted to attend, simply because my father works there, so tuition is free. I'm stuck going there with someone I used to consider to be my best friend, until she went crazy and treated the whole lot of us like shit. _

_ And now what you may ask? Is this just going to be a rant about how much I really can't stand my life? No, thank God, it's not. Thankfully, whenever I have a bad day, I can just come home and do several of my favourite things: read, write, play video games, watch movies, or listen to music. Today I was interested particularly in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Again. I have loved those movies and books since I was a seventh grader, and now, at the age of eighteen, I still love them to death and back. _

_ It's funny really. Of all the universes I'd ever fantasized about living in (Azeroth, Ferelden, Cyrodiil, Renaissance Italy etc.) Middle-Earth was the easiest for me to imagine myself in. This was probably because all the movies were live-action, and thus I could picture everything in real-life more easily. I could picture myself living in Minas Tirith, dressed daily in the accustomed grey attire (something I loved to do already) and braiding the white flowers of the newly alive White Tree into my long dark hair. _

_ This was the life I longed for. _

_ But I probably sound so emo, don't I? Ah, such is life I guess. Don't get me wrong, I have good days. Hell, I have great days! The latter of which I have more frequently than one would think. It's just the days that I have bad days are the days I tend to wish I lived somewhere else. I mean, who wouldn't love to live in their ideal world? I know I did. Am I ranting too much? I think I am. Again. _

_ Sometimes, when I see a shooting star, I find myself wishing I was in Middle-Earth. Sometimes I wish so strongly that I would one day wake up to find myself in Middle-Earth, I can almost smell the pine trees of the woods, and hear the roaring of rivers rushing past me. But when I open my eyes, I am back in my too yellow room, with all my video game merchandise, and stuffed animals. I have to shake myself so that I keep on going, trying not to dwell on what can never be..._

"Ugh!" I threw down my pencil and put my head in my hands. I could hear the soft buzzing of my too bright bedroom light shining above me as I glared through my hands down at my leather-bound diary. My hands felt cold yet sweaty against my forehead as I sat there, glaring at what I had just written. "I am _so_ emo! ARGH!" I threw my diary across the room, went over to my multicoloured bed and flopped down.

I stared up at the ceiling, still fuming. God how I hated the world I lived in. _Why_ couldn't I live in Middle-Earth, or at least _somewhere_ that didn't _suck_?

"Grrr..." I grrd out loud didn't I? HOLY GOD I'M LOSING MY MIND. Read...read I need to read. I rolled off my bed, hit the floor face-first, cursed loudly for a few seconds, then crawled and grabbed _The Fellowship of the Ring_ off my bookshelf. I must've looked like a complete fool. I then proceeded to crawl back to my bed and crawl up and open the book. Before I began reading, I flicked on the television, and let the film of _The Fellowship of the Ring_ play in the background. It was at the part where the fellowship had just left the council of Elrond, and was saying their goodbyes to all the elves in Rivendell (I owned the extended version of all three films, and I usually let them play in the background while I did my homework after school). I decided that there would be a good part to start reading my book as well, considering I had to read it again anyway for an English Project.

I flipped my book open and started to read, while listening to the voices of Gandalf, Aragorn, Frodo and the rest of the Fellowship in the background. It was times like this that I really felt happy. I smiled slightly as I mentally compared the book to the movie; again. Don't get me wrong, I love those movies to death, but the books were so much better. They had so much more information, and all the _Lord of the Rings_ goodness I could handle. Okay actually I always wanted more _Lord of the Rings_ goodness...

It wasn't long before I began to drift off into sleep. In the background I was vaguely aware that my movie had frozen again, just as the Fellowship was leaving Rivendell. I hadn't even noticed that it had been frozen for the better part of an hour, since I had been so absorbed with my book. Now I was getting _so_ tired. I felt myself beginning to drift off into sleep, when I saw a flash of light in the night sky from my open window. _A shooting star!_ I sat up immediately, still groggy from my lack of sleep.

"I wish to be in Middle-Earth with The Fellowship on their journey." I said aloud, with surprising strength in my voice, considering my current state. I then rose slowly from bed and put my book back on my bookshelf, with my leg resting just against the foot of my bed.

Suddenly I began to feel very odd. I could almost hear the sounds of the trees rustling behind me as I stood there, looking at my bookshelf. I even swore I could hear the sounds of people bustling around somewhere a couple of yards away. I blinked a few times. _Just wishful thinking_, I told myself. _That, and lack of sleep. Just go to bed._ I was absolutely certain there was nothing behind me, I mean I could still feel the gentle brush of my comforter against my pyjama clad leg, _and _ could see out my bedroom window! Seriously... I rolled my eyes and turned around to go to bed.

The sight that greeted me nearly gave me a heart attack.

I wasn't in my room anymore! I WAS IN AN EFFING FOREST! My mind hadn't been playing tricks on me for once. There, plain as day was a large forest, complete with chirping birds, and the smell of oak and pine. I immediately whirled around and looked behind me, expecting to see my room, but instead I only found more forest.

I began to panic.

I swear my heart was beating a million kilometres per second I was so fucking scared. My hands were shaking as I brought them slowly up to my face in my terror and passed them over my eyes. I prayed that when I opened them I would find myself back in my room, and not here; wherever _here_ was.

When I opened my eyes, to my dismay I found myself to be still within the forest, and becoming more and more terrified by the second. I took a deep breath, and decided maybe I should look around, though I had to be careful. After all, I was still clad only in my pyjamas, housecoat, and slippers for heaven's sake!

I began to creepy carefully through the woods, my breaths shallow and still scared. Ahead of me I could still hear voices. If I was where I thought I was... Oh please God, please, that'd be amazing. But still I was terrified. I came to a large tree, and I slowly looked around it, towards the source of the voices.

I nearly had another heart attack.

_It was the Fellowship of the Ring._ I am not shitting _anyone_ here. It actually was! I nearly started flailing the moment I saw them. MY WISH HAD COME TRUE. IT HAD ACUTALLY COME TRUE. OH MY EFFING GOD. I leapt behind the tree again when I heard someone call out.

"Did you hear that? I think these woods are haunted!" It sounded like one of the hobbits, though who it was I could not place.

"We only just left Rivendell Pip; the only thing you'll find here is elves!" Cried out another voice, who I took to be Meriadoc Brandybuck, which made the other voice Peregrin Took. I felt my heart catch in my chest for a moment. This was real; it was all real. _All of it!_

I began to slowly pace back and forth. What should I do? Should I reveal myself to them, or should I maybe make my way on myself? No, that was a stupid idea even for me. Maybe I should make myself known, and then ask them which was it was to Rivendell? No, this was _my_ wish. I wished to be here; to follow them on their journey! I had to do this...but how?

I then got a brilliant (and not to mention extremely retarded) idea. I decided I needed to make myself known, but in a way so that the Fellowship didn't know that I had been kinda sorta following them.

I gathered three very large stones into my hand and, with a huge breath, hurtled them about me, hitting a tree, snapping a branch, and actually one made it to their little makeshift camp. As soon as I did this, there was a large commotion from the Fellowship.

"Frodo, you and the Hobbits stay here with Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir and I will search the nearby wood for the intruder." I heard Aragorn say from nearby. _Shit_. I hurried away from the tree and backed up a few feet.

I needed to look inconspicuous now. I quickly pulled up the hood of my bright blue housecoat (yeah, that was totally inconspicuous) and knelt down on the mossy and leaf covered forest floor. I began ringing my hands and looking around worriedly. I probably looked like a complete moron, but at this point I didn't care. I scratched at my long dark hair which was still, miraculously, in its long braid down my back, and tried to look as lost as I possibly could. After what felt like forever, I was wondering if they would _ever_ notice me in my stupidly bright housecoat, when I felt a large hand grip me by my upper arm, and haul me to my feet.

"What do you seek from us, witch?" I found myself face to face with none other than Boromir, son of Gondor. His grey green eyes bore into my dark ones as I stared up at him in terror. I had always loved Boromir in the books and movies of _The Lord of the Rings_, he had been my favourite character, and I had been distraught when he had died. Now however, he did not look anything like the man I had come to respect look up to. Now he looked like a man who wanted my head on a pike outside a castle. His gaze was murderous, and his grip tightened on my upper arm.

"I asked you a question, witch!" He spat, and his iron grip made me squirm in pain.

"I-I am no witch!" I cried out, my voice automatically going into a more formal way of speaking. _Oh Lord, I was born to do this_. "I-I did not mean to intrude! I'm sorry!" He only tightened his grip now, and I slipped up instantly in my manner of speaking. "_Fuck!_ Let go of my damn arm you jack ass! You're hurting me!" he immediately let go, his eyes wide with surprise at my sudden outburst.

"I-I beg your pardon? Who are you?" He then withdrew his sword, the tip coming to rest at my throat. I immediately raised my hands in surprise and backed up...

...right into Aragorn.

_Well hell_. "And who might you be?" Aragorn asked his gaze steely, though not murderous like Boromir's gaze.

I stared up at him in awe; at _all_ of them in awe. They looked exactly like they did in the movies, and sounded exactly like they did. This time however, I knew it wasn't makeup; this time I knew this was all read. Still, it _was_ pretty weird.

"M-my name is Kayla," I stuttered, "I'm sorry I startled you all. I-I'm really lost." It was then that the reality of what had happened really hit me, and I felt tears begin to burn my eyes. I squeezed my eyes shut tight, but that didn't stop them.

This seemed to take everyone there by surprise, and they regarded me with suspicion. Finally Legolas spoke up.

"I sense no evil in this woman. She is telling the truth; she is truly lost." I stared at him. When I had been younger, I had had a _massive_ crush on Orlando Bloom; not to mention Legolas himself. And now here he was, defending _me; me_ of all people! My mouth dropped open, and I felt a hand on my shoulder again. Fearing it was Boromir trying to rip my arm off again, I leapt away to find Aragorn staring at me.

"Come," he said, his eyes never leaving my face, and I nodded slowly. I followed them back towards their camp, Aragorn in the front, followed by Legolas, then Gimli, then me, and finally Boromir.

I could feel Boromir's eyes burning a hole in the back of my head as we walked. _He doesn't trust me. I can feel it. _I thought as we walked. _Come to think of it: did he ever trust anyone?_ We walked in silence, and then we finally came to their little camp. I was immediately regarded with confusion, probably because of my clothes and terrified expression.

Gandalf rose as we came up to them, and the Hobbits looked at me with curiosity. "Who is this young woman you bring here?" The old wizard asked slowly, his voice every bit as wise and magical as it was in the movies. He still had his grey hair and robes I noted, though I knew that he wouldn't have them for much longer, once fate got a hold of him.

"Her name is Kayla," Aragorn replied, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. I blushed and looked down, feeling stupid. I probably looked to dumb by comparison.

"What is she wearing?" I heard Merry ask, and Pippin nodded vigorously.

"Why is she here?" Pippin asked.

"She says she is lost," Boromir said contemptuously from behind me, and I had to resist the urge to turn around and punch him right in his amazingly handsome face.

Gandalf looked at me with those old, knowing eyes, and smiled. "Come child, sit by the fire, and tell us what happened." I gratefully walked over and sat down next to the old Wizard. The rest of the Fellowship slowly sat down as well, and they all stared at me. I felt my cheeks heat up as I debated what I should tell them.

"Well..." I began slowly, "My name is Kayla Harris, and I'm eighteen years old. I'm from a small town, where I live with my dad and brother. I don't know exactly _how_ I ended up _here_, but I did, and now I have _no_ idea how to get back. I just...turned around and found myself here." There, no lies; well not really. They were all staring at me now in a heavy silence, and I could feel their stares penetrating into my very _soul_. God, I was so dramatic.

"So let me understand this: you _found_ yourself here? And why are we supposed to believe that?" Boromir asked coldly, and I glared at him. Before I could retort, Gandalf spoke up.

"Have you nowhere to child?" He asked kindly, and I smiled slightly for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Not unless you can tell me how to get to Rivendell." The Fellowship exchanged glances, and I waited with baited breath. I was trying my luck now. Part of me wanted to stay with them, and go on their epic adventure with them. However, part me also knew it would look _way_ too weird if I was to suddenly jump up and ask "OMG CAN I COME WITH YOU GUYS?" Yeah, _that_ would go over well...

"Rivendell is only a few days away," Aragorn said slowly.

"Indeed, but a few days back the way we came would mean we would be more than a week behind our time; something that gives Sauron's forces the upper hand in finding us Aragorn." Gimli grunted.

"True..." The ranger mused. He then exchanged a glance with Gandalf. "Can we really risk wasting so much time just to go back the way we came?" He had a look in his eye I both loved and feared immensely. Gandalf had a strange little smile on his face now that was making me nervous.

"Why are you being pursued by Sauron's forces?" I asked innocently.

Gandalf looked at me with his hard gaze, and I nearly shrivelled. "We possess the One Ring of power Lady Kayla. The Ringbearer, Master Frodo Baggins, carries it with him, and we are to cast it back into the fire from whence it came."

I pretended to be shocked. "The One Ring of Sauron?"

Gandalf smiled, "The very same."

I was instantly suspicious, "Wait, why are you telling me this?"

Aragorn turned to me suddenly, interrupting my question, "Can you handle any kind of weapon?"

I blushed, feeling stupid again. "Well...sort of. I mean, I have fluke aim. I can hit almost anything; but I've never killed anything, or anyone. I can't use a sword worth shit, so I guess a bow is my best bet." To my surprise, Aragorn tossed me his bow, and I caught it, staring at him in surprise. "W-what?"

"We evidently cannot afford to go back to Rivendell Lady Kayla," Aragorn said calmly, smiling slightly at me.

"Therefore, the only option is for you to come with us until we find a suitable place for you to remain child." Gandalf added, and my heart sank. I had been so excited that they were letting me come along, but I guessed I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth; or in this case a gift ranger and wizard.

"So, I'm coming with you?" I asked incredulously, hardly daring to believe my ears. Behind me I heard Boromir sigh angrily, and I shot him a look over my shoulder. "I'd _love_ to come with you! I'd be an _honour_." I could see Boromir glaring at me out of the corner of my eye, and I couldn't help but smirk. As much as I respected and looked up to Boromir as a character for his redemption during _The Fellowship of the Ring_, I also thoroughly enjoyed pissing the Hell outta him.

"Then it is settled. I welcome you Lady Kayla. However, before we depart, I must ask you: do not touch the ring, do you understand?" Gandalf was looking at me with that hard gaze again, and I shrank back.

"Why not?" I asked stupidly, "Is it because it could hurt me?"

"No fool woman," said Boromir coldly, "it is because if you go near it at all we will not hesitate to run you through, do you understand?"

I went white beneath my dark hair. "I-I...what?"

Gandalf gave Boromir a cool look, before turning to me. "What Boromir means to say is prove to us that we can trust you, and our journey shall be a smooth one."

I gulped, and nodded, "Of course! I promise!" Gandalf smiled and patted my shoulder, before turning away.

He suddenly turned back and, with a twinkle in his eye, said, "And do try to have fun child." Before winking at me and turning away.

I was left standing there looking like an idiot for a second, before I grabbed the bow Aragorn had given me, and I raced after the Fellowship, ready to begin a new chapter into the book that was my life.

**A/N: Woo! I wrote a fanfiction about LotR a few years ago, and just recently I went back and read it, and MY GOD IT WAS TERRIBLE. XD So here is another one: completely Mary-Sue! Yay! I have too much fun writing Mary-Sue stories... Ah well such is my life. ;) This is a first for me, actually writing a serious LotR fanfic, so please R&R! I apologize if some characters seem OOC. It was hard for me to try and figure out exactly what they would say in such a situation. I also apologize if this story seems kind of all over the place right now. This was, for the moment, an experiment. I will probably continue it, just for old time LotR obsessions' sake. Good day!**


	2. Swords, Glares and Birds from Hell

**A/N: Woo! Here is chapter two! I hope you all enjoy it! :D And tell me if there is anywhere I can improve with character's personalities, plotline etc. Enjoy! Garo arad vaer! **

Chapter Two

Swords, Glares and Birds from Hell

Boromir was _such_ a jerk. I mean honestly, I loved him in the books and adored him in the movies; but _this_ was ridiculous! The whole time we had been walking, I could feel his eyes never leave me, and it wasn't because he was staring at me or anything; I knew it was because he could not trust me anymore even if he wanted to. And to make things worse, as soon as we reached the top of the large mountain we were climbing (the one I knew would eventually lead up to the scene with the Crebain from Dunland; oh joy) Gandalf suggested that Boromir teach me how to at least somewhat wield a sword, since he was going to be helping Merry and Pippin anyway while we rested. Sadly, he grudgingly agreed, and I was left glaring at the back of his perfect Gondorian head as he walked over to fetch us some swords.

"You know Gandalf," I tried while Boromir took his sweet time getting the blades, "I can just watch what you guys do, and pick myself up from there." I then gave him what was probably my fakest, cheesiest smile I had ever made. Unfortunately, Gandalf didn't buy into a second of it.

"And what if we are attacked at any moment child? Then what will you do? Just, and I quote "watch us until you pick it up?" I hardly think that is the best tactic." I scowled at the aged wizard. Stupid Gandalf, always being right n' stuff... I trudged away from Gandalf, who I swear was silently chuckling to himself at my current predicament. Jerk.

I shuffled over to Boromir, who held out a sword for me, not looking directly at me. "You know, you're not going to burn up if you look into my eyes or at my face. I'm not Satan or anything." I smirked at him, and he glared at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Just take the sword, and let's get started." He muttered; his mouth set in a thin, straight line. _He's probably still silently obsessing over the Ring._ I thought. _He probably thinks I'm going to try and take it or something. Stupid, handsome, obsessing Gondorian..._

I grasped the handle of the sword that he held out to me, and took a position across from him. His eyes were now looking right at my face, and I saw no mercy in them. I knew that this sparring match was not going to be very friendly, and so I dug my feet into the ground as best I could, and hardened the core of my body against any sudden impact that may occur sometime soon. I readied the blade in front of me, and looked Boromir right in the eye. He looked slightly taken aback by my suddenly intense facial expression. I had to stifle a giggle. I was attempting to make the "Challenge Accepted" face from meme base, and I guess it had worked.

He took a slow breath in, and then began to advance. As if by reflex, I raised the sword up and parried his attack; a lucky shot I figured. I am terrible when it comes to sword fighting or any kind of close range combat for that matter. Our swords clanged together, and I was surprised by the sudden forcefulness that pushed me backwards; I had to steady myself to keep from falling. I remembered to move my feet, just as Aragorn had told Merry and Pippin to do in the movie.

Boromir attacked again, this time with more power, and I leapt sideways this time, causing him to be momentarily off balance. Did I mention one of the only things about sparring I'm good at is dodging and running away? I took this opportunity to bump him with my knee, sending him onto his knees. He threw me a glare over his shoulder, and I blushed, but grinned smugly back. He leapt to his feet, and came at me again, with no mercy whatsoever this time. I knew he wasn't going to kill me, but that didn't stop me from having the shit scared outta me.

He slashed and grunted, swinging his sword with immense force that I was about to run. However, at the last second I changed my mind, and stood my ground. I let his sword hit mine, driving me backwards again. I could feel my slippered feet skidding across the ground as he hit me again and again. I was getting better at blocking, but that was really about it. I could feel his strength starting to overpower me. That was when I felt the adrenaline rush happen.

For some reason I was suddenly slashing and clanging against his sword, my blade flying up and sideways; faster and faster with each passing second. He was driven back from me, a look of surprise on his face. I then steadied myself, and held the large sword in my hands the way Fenris does in Dragon Age II. With the blade pointing down so it dragged along the ground, I raced at him. I was running so fast, and there was such a look of surprising rage on my face that Boromir actually looked scared. My feet had become a blur on the ground I'm sure, and I was almost upon him, when he suddenly did something I hadn't expected.

He tripped me.

I feel right down on my face and into the dirt with a "MMRPMPH!" I raised my head slowly and looked around, confused. I then noticed he was standing there, still staring at me with an expression of awe. "Why the _hell_ did you trip me?" I demanded, sitting up on my elbows, and glaring up at him, the sword lying forgotten next to me.

To my surprise, he extended a hand and helped me up. "You were going too fast. I could see by your stance that any moment you would trip, so I made it look less embarrassing." He said all this in a hushed tone, and I stared at him. Boromir had just done _me_ a prop! No way! Maybe he wasn't such a jerk.

"Wait, you tripped me so I wouldn't look like an idiot?" I asked incredulously.

He fixed me with a small smirk. "Not likely my lady. I tripped you so that I won the duel." Nope, still a jerk.

I scowled. "Thanks; thanks a lot." I bent down and picked up the sword, my long dark braid falling over my shoulder as I did, exposing my very pale skin.

"Are you part elf?" He asked suddenly, and my head snapped up.

"What?"

"Your skin, it is very white. I assumed you were part elf." He shrugged and I threw the sword to him, which he caught with ease.

"No, I am not part elf. I am just me; just Kayla. I am human, just like you. I just happen to have stupidly pale skin and stupidly dark hair." He fixed me with a stare.

"You are a very odd woman, Kayla," he said, before turning away from me towards Merry and Pippin, with whom he began to teach to use a sword (or dagger in their cases, since they were so tiny).

I shook my head, sighing. Though I was still exasperated by Boromir's attitude towards me, I had made some progress with him; he had finally called me Kayla! Yay! But still...meh.

I shuffled over to a rock near to the one that Sam was cooking food on. The little gardener Hobbit looked up at me and smiled.

"Good day Miss Kayla. If I may say so, you're sparring with Master Boromir was very good." Oh my God he was so _cute!_ Sam had always been my favourite Hobbit out of the four of them; then Pippin, then Merry, and then Frodo. Frodo had always annoyed me a bit; not so much the character himself, but just how Elijah Wood's face was just too damn girly looking when he dressed up as Frodo. It frightened me greatly.

I smiled at him, "Thanks Sam. It was all really fluke you know; I was just copying what I saw someone do before, while I was watching them spar. I guess it wasn't too smart, since Boromir tripped me..." _Jerk_, I thought again childishly.

Sam smiled up at me, and offered me some sausages and eggs. I took them gratefully with a grin, and started to chow down. Sam smiled again and turned to watch Boromir as he was helping Merry and Pippin. Their little daggers clashed with his sword (though not as loudly as mine had, since he wasn't being a huge jerk-face to them like he had to me) and he was moving slowly.

"You're doing well Pip!" Merry cheered on his friend, who grinned back at him.

"Thanks!" Pippin let Merry pass him to spar with Boromir, who was smiling the first genuine smile I had seen from him thus far. It really changed his face when he smiled, I mused. He looked so much less angry and untrusting; not to mention it made him even more handsome. I felt a small (and goofy) smile creepy onto my face, but I wiped it off quickly when Boromir accidentally cut Pippin's finger, and the Hobbit yelped in surprise.

"Ah sorry!" Boromir cried out, reaching for the Hobbit, but Pippin kicked him in the shin, and sent the tall man sprawling onto the ground. Immediately, Merry and Pippin were upon him, yelling.

"For the Shire!" Merry (or was it Pippin?) yelled out, and the two began to wrestle with the Gondorian. Boromir was laughing and tousling their hair, and I laughed along with Sam as Aragorn tried to get involved to break up the fight, and was promptly tripped and fell right down.

Suddenly, I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end, and I realized that the Crebain from Dunland were about to appear. I whirled around just in time to hear Gimli speak.

"Ah it's just a wisp of cloud," the dwarf said nonchalantly.

Boromir stood slowly from the ground and moved to stand next to Aragorn, who had gotten up. "It's moving fast," he said slowly, "against the wind."

Legolas leapt down from his boulder that he had claimed the moment we had arrived at the top of the mountain. "Crebain from Dunland!" He shouted his eyes fearful.

Aragorn paled, "Hide!" He yelled and began racing about the mountaintop, grabbing our provisions and stowing them under the nearby boulders. Sam quickly put out the fire, and Merry and Pippin ran for cover. I looked over my shoulder, and I could see the large swarm of deadly birds flying closer and closer. I began to panic again, and felt my legs turn to jelly. I knew where all the Fellowship would hide, but where was I do hide?

As if my miracle, I felt to hands grab me around the waist, and the next thing I knew, I was under a thorny bush with someone pressed against me, shielding me from view. Above me I could hear the Crebain swooping and screeching overhead, and I felt my heart beat faster with each passing second. I could feel the gusts of wind as the birds flew past us over head, and whoever was next to me, their heart was beating just as fast as mine.

We waited a few more seconds until the screeching and swooping had stopped, and I slowly turned my head. I found myself pressed into the chest of Boromir surprisingly. He wasn't looking at me, but his arm was still around my waist, and the other was on the hilt of his sword. I finally managed to regain my voice.

"Boromir," I said slowly, "They've gone; it's safe." He jerked out of his reverie and stared at me for a second. He then rolled out from under the bush and helped me to my feet. When I rose, I found the other members of the Fellowship crowded around Gandalf. He looked grave.

"The passage to the South is being watched," the Grey Wizard informed us, though I already knew that. "We must go north over the mountains."

"Gandalf," said Gimli suddenly, and we all looked at him. "Why not pass through the Mines of Moria? My cousin Balin would give a royal welcome." The dwarf looked hopeful, but I knew what would happen if and when we did that, and I shuddered.

Gandalf stared at Gimli thoughtfully. "I would not pass through those mines unless I had no other choice Master Dwarf," he said calmly and I couldn't help but thinking "PWND" as he did.

Gimli did _not_ look impressed, and Gandalf turned away from him. "Gather together all your belongings, we set out immediately." Gandalf turned away from us, and I was left wondering how the _hell_ I was going to get up that mountain without freezing my damn feet off.

As everyone was packing up the supplies, Boromir approached me. "Lady Kayla," he began, but I cut him off.

"Please, just call me Kayla. Lady Kayla makes me sound important." He looked surprised by my comment and I smiled.

"Kayla," he began again, "I just wanted to tell you...you fight well, for a woman. But you need more practice," he added quickly, looking uncomfortable. "I could teach you if you like."

I shook my head. "Thanks but no thanks Boromir. I like using a sword don't get me wrong, and I'm sure you'd be a great teacher, but I think I'll stick with my bow; well Aragorn's bow. Close up combat is too scary for me." I laughed and he cracked a tiny smile. I immediately called him on it. "Oh, he's smiling! Alert the Fellowship!" Boromir chuckled and I grinned at him.

"You are an amusing woman, but you will forgive if I still have trouble trusting you."

_ Damn._ "That is understandable Boromir, don't worry about it." I waved a hand vaguely, and he smiled, before grabbing his shield, and starting to follow the rest of the Fellowship of the hill towards the path that would lead us up to the Mountain of Death, I mean Snow. I stared after him, using to myself. He had started out acting like a complete tool, but now suddenly he was starting to act all nice. Either it was the One Ring that was messing with his head (something I was almost certain was true) or he had maybe for some reason found respect for me because I had tried to kill him during our sword fight.

HA, as if. I was going to go with the whole "the One Ring is my crack and it makes me act like a jerk one second and a super nice guy the next". Yeah, that made _much_ more sense.

Whatever.

I pulled the hood of my stupid housecoat over my head, and began to race up the hill after the rest of the Fellowship, pausing only to grab the bow that Aragorn had lent me earlier, and the quiver filled with arrows that came along with it. I slung the things over my shoulder and trudged up the hill after them. I caught up with Boromir who had, for some reason, paused to wait for me. We exchanged a glance before I hurried past him so we were in the same order we had been before; with him behind me. Once again I could feel his eyes on the back of my head; only this time his gaze wasn't so cold, and I couldn't help but smile to myself as we ascended the hill towards the Mountain of Devilish Snow.

**A/N: Yay new chapter! I had fun with this XD Sorry it's shorter than the last, but I enjoyed writing it! :D I hope you all enjoyed reading it, and remember: R&R s'il-vous-plait! :) I am open to suggestions, like if I spelt a name wrong or if I got a place wrong etc. Le hannon en ****Namárië!**


	3. Trudging up that Hill

**A/N: And here is chapter three! :D I am glad I started writing this XD The whole Kayla getting to do a project on LotR is real by the way, I have to read Fellowship for an English Project :D I am so happy –grins- I love this series to pieces ^^ Also, the title of this chapter "Trudging up that Hill as Opposed to Running up It" was inspired by the Within Temptation song "Running up that Hill" which I listen to far too much while thinking about Lord of the Rings XD It was originally done by Kate Bush, but I like theirs more :D Look it up, it's fantastic! :D**

Chapter Three

Trudging up that Hill as Opposed to Running up It

The one thing I forgot to realize as we made our way up the path that led to the mountain that would try and take us towards Mordor was that the scene didn't just fly by like in the books and movies. _We actually had to climb_ and we had been walking for hours. Now, I am not the most athletic person on the planet; I am by far the laziest. I'm not obese or anything, but I am by no means fit. About halfway up the path, I was already out of breath and mentally complaining and cursing.

Finally, to my happiness, Gimli started to verbally complain, and we decided to stop and set up camp. Night was beginning to fall, and I knew I needed some sleep, considering I had been sent here just before I was going to bed, so it felt like I had been up for two days straight. Thankfully we hadn't reached the snowy part of the path yet, so I wasn't _that_ cold.

Yeah right. I was in only my frigging _pyjamas _for Valar's Sake!

Gandalf made a fire while the rest of us lay down and tried to get some shut eye. Legolas was on first watch, then Boromir, then Aragorn, and finally Gandalf; they all took turns each hour.

I lay down on the grassy hill that we had decided to make camp on, feeling the soft grass against my back. I was so tired and sore that this grassy hill could've been a feathery bed for all I cared. I was just closing my eyes to sleep, when I was suddenly under the impression that I was being watched. I cracked an eyelid open just enough to see that Boromir, though he was far enough away from me, was watching me with great interest. I decided to mess with him a bit. I watched him out of the little slit of my eye for a good ten minutes, and he never looked away. I don't know if he knew I was watching him too, but he still kept his gaze fixed on me.

The expression his face was a curious one: he looked as though he wanted to say something to me, but something was holding him back. He also kind of looked like he was scrutinizing me, but I couldn't really tell, since I was so tired, and I could barely see him through my squint. Finally, I decided to let him in on the fact that I knew he was watching me.

I closed my eye again and, pretending to be asleep, said loudly. "You know Boromir, you should take a picture; it'll last longer." Boromir nearly jumped out of his skin, and I opened both eyes and grinned at him, laughing. "You should see the look on your face, Son of Gondor." Hm, first time I had tried calling him by that name; I liked using it.

"I-I do not know of what you speak Lady Kayla," he stammered, and I was taken aback by his reaction. Boromir, _stammering?_

"The Gods certainly have a sense of humour," I remarked, chuckling.

He looked up at me, his grey eyes confused. "I beg your pardon?"

I sat up completely now, leaning against my elbow and giving him my best troll face grin, which probably looked ridiculous. "You're blushing _and_ stammering."

His eyes narrowed, but I could see the ghost of a smile within them, and that made me smile even more. "You make very strange facial expressions Kayla," he said, a little smirk on his face.

I stuck out my tongue at him, realizing then that I felt totally comfortable around him now, since I was starting to act less and less like some formal lost maiden and more like my usual completely insane self. "If only you knew of the facial expressions I was making sir, you would certainly laugh yourself hoarse." Suddenly, I was struck with a crazy awesome idea. "Hey! Does anyone have any parchment?" Everyone looked at me strangely for a second, and I rolled my eyes. "I'm bored and I would like to draw." Gandalf reached into his cloak and pulled out a blank piece of parchment, and handed it to me. I then proceeded to claim and piece of charcoal from the edge of the fire, and sat down on my housecoat, which I had taken off as a means of a slight bed.

"Boromir, come here," I commanded the Gondorian, and he looked surprised. He then walked over and sat down next to me. "I am going to introduce you to Meme Base Faces." I said with a cackle, and began scribbling on the parchment for a second. After a few minutes I had successfully drawn (okay not really, those meme base faces are stupidly hard to draw) the Troll Face, the Challenge Accepted Face, the Forever Alone Face, and the Rage Face. I then labelled them all as such, and showed them to Boromir, who looked _very_ confused.

"What are they? He asked, staring from the faces and then back to me repeatedly.

I rolled my eyes in exasperation. "What do they look like? They're faces! Here look," I pointed to the Troll Face, with all it's under bite glory. "This is a Troll Face."

"It doesn't look like any troll I've seen," said Boromir in such an innocent voice I had to bite my lip from giggling like a fool.

"No, no, it's not an _actual_ troll! Okay how do I explain this in a way you'd understand…? To troll someone is to intentionally and persistently say or write inflammatory messages about sensitive topics just to bait people into responding or to provoke a confrontation." I looked at him, "does that make sense?"

Boromir's mouth was hanging open slightly now, and he nodded slowly. "Yes, a little. What of the others? I mean, the Challenge Accepted Face is a little self explanatory, as well as the face of Rage. But what about the, what is that, the _forever alone face?_" He looked up at me, with genuine concern and curiosity in his eyes that I was momentarily stunned.

"Ah, well, the Forever Alone Face is just that: it means to be forever alone. I guess it's the face someone would make if they knew that they would be forever alone." I laughed a little, "To be honest I don't know much about that face, I just use it in context far too often when my friends are making fun of me."

Boromir genuinely laughed now, "_That_ is the face you would make if you were to discover that you would be forever alone? I think not miss," he was chuckling now, "I personally would just be a very depressed and tired man." I was taken aback by this comment, and I blushed.

"But you're not alone Boromir," I said slowly, "you have your family surely, and the Fellowship, right?"

He now looked at me dead on, and his expression was so grief stricken that I was paralyzed. "I know that, but I cannot but help feeling alone in such a vast world Lady Kayla," I inwardly thought, _just Kayla!_ But restrained myself from saying so.

"Trust me when I say so Boromir, you are not alone. Many people here would give their lives to save you, and I know you'd do the same." That was when it hit me; the reality of it all.

Boromir was going to die.

I sat there in total shock. How could I have forgotten about this? It was the one part of the movie that I could never watch without crying or without fast forwarding through just to be able to bear it. _Why; _why had Tolkien decided to kill off Boromir? JUST WHEN I WAS STARTING TO LIKE HIM TOO. This was something that always happened to me; whenever I started liking a character in a movie or book, THEY DIED. Examples: James Norrington from Pirates of the Caribbean, Remus Lupin from Harry Potter, Harry Osborn from Spider Man, Boromir, and hell even Haldir! (He was cool in a broody, jerk-elf kind of way, I swear!)

Now I think I was sitting there looking like a fish out of water, since Boromir was giving me the strangest look. "Are you alright Kayla?" he asked, looking concerned.

I finally got over my cotton mouth, "Uh, yeah, I'm fine." I faked a yawn, "I'm really tired, I think I'll try and get some sleep now. Night Boromir," I patted his shoulder gently, and smiled at him, trying to look as friendly as I could. He stared at me for a second, and we held each other's gaze for what felt like an eternity. His grey eyes bore into my dark ones, and it felt like the rest of the Fellowship just melted into the background, and that we were the only ones there. My heartbeat was thundering in my ears, and I was aware that I was barely breathing. I realized my hand was still on his shoulder, and I gently removed it, but didn't move. We just sat there, staring at one another, neither of us blinking.

I have no idea why we just sat there looking at each other. I don't know if he was trying to read my personality, or I was trying to read his. All I knew was that we had been like that for some time, after what felt like a thousand ages had passed, a voice interrupted us.

"Lord Boromir, it is your turn for watch," Legolas said softly from somewhere to my right. We both jerked back into reality, and Boromir stood quickly, and slight redness in his cheeks.

"Right, thank you," he then walked off the sit on the watching rock. Had an hour really passed? I had no idea; all I knew was that now I was immensely tired, and I needed some much deserved sleep.

I proceeded to lie down on my housecoat, and closed my eyes, but not before seeing Legolas giving me that knowing smile of his. I didn't know why, but for some reason this time it made my blood run cold with fear. _What was going to happen now?_

_OoOoO_

I awoke a few hours later with a start. I had been dreaming about waking up back at home, and recounting my story of my crazy adventure with the Fellowship to my little brother, who promptly gave me the title of crazy. Then the dream had changed, and I was back in Middle-Earth, but it wasn't the Middle-Earth I knew; this one was drastically different. It looked exactly like Azeroth, but I knew it was Middle-Earth, and the Hobbits were gnomes, Legolas was a Blood Elf, and everyone else was humans. It was pretty rad until I was jerked awake by a gust of cold air. I awoke and found myself curled up in a ball next to a warm body. Actually, several warm bodies.

I propped myself up slowly to find I had been sleeping on a mountain side, with the Fellowship of the Ring all sleeping around me. Then it all came rushing back to me, and I blinked a few times, trying to clear my head. I also discovered that sometime in the night, someone had had the brilliant idea of having everyone sleep very close together so we could conserve heat. I also realized I had been a human sandwich, stuck between Boromir and Gimli, who was sprawled unceremoniously over the ground to my left. This made me giggle slightly.

I sat up completely now and looked around. It wasn't very early, judging by the dull greyness of the morning sky, and the cool dew that covered the grass below me. I shivered in my t-shirt and pyjama pants, and pulled my arms into my tee. I then reached over and grabbed the slipper that had magically fallen off my foot during the night (I kick when I sleep; a lot.) and shoved it back onto my foot. I then struggled to my feet, and stretched. I looked to my right and found Gandalf hunched over the little dying fire we had set up only hours before. He looked up when I approached him.

"Good morning Kayla," he said pleasantly.

I smiled at him, "Good morning Gandalf. Did you sleep well?"

The old man's smile was grave. "I found no sleep here sadly; though I am pleased to say the way up the mountain seems clear enough. I watched over the Fellowship for the better part of three hours."

I nodded slowly, "That's good. I slept pretty well myself, considering I was forced to sleep on the ground," I chuckled.

Gandalf threw me a small smile, "I could tell; you thrash like a fish out of water when you sleep child. Our Lord Gimli made the funniest noise when your slipper hit him on the head."

My mouth fell open. "_I hit him on the head?_ Oh God, oh God, oh God! I feel _so_ bad now!" I was aware I was totally freaking out in my own way of speaking, and Gandalf was fixing me with that wise gaze of his. But before he could say anything, there was movement behind us, we turned and saw that the others were slowly awakening, and I quickly rushed over to my housecoat and grabbed it, putting it on, despite the fact it was wet on the back from the dew.

Gimli say up, grunting at me, "Hey lass, yer slipper hit me last night yunno."

I blushed while Boromir snorted from behind me. "Yeah sorry Gimli, I tend to kick in my sleep."

"Well," said the dwarf indignantly, "remind me never to sleep in the same bed as yeh then!" At that comment I whirled around, blushing like mad to the laughter of the others. As I turned I found Boromir looked very uncomfortable, and there was a slight redness in his cheeks.

I shrugged it off and waited patiently as the rest of the Fellowship gathered together their belongings and then we set off again. This time out path was going to take us straight up the path and towards the snowy hell that awaited us. I was inwardly groaning the entire time we were trudging up the hill towards the inevitable.

We walked for what felt like hours, or maybe it was even days, but finally the dirt covered ground gave way to the snow that had been mocking me forever. I swore the first time the snow touched the bare skin of what could be seen of my feet within my slippers. By now (thank Valar) my housecoat had dried and thusly was keeping me warm enough. I had the hood of it yanked up and over my head, and dark bangs lying flat against my forehead, something that I was greatly appreciative of, since it kept my forehead warm.

We finally broke through the cloud bank, and the whole sky above us was a clear, brilliant blue. The air, however, was thin and made it difficult for me to breathe. I kept falling behind, since I needed to stop and breathe in a couple of times just to keep from passing out. The snow was soft and pillow-like, and if I had miraculously brought my winter coat and boots with me, I'd have been playing and throwing snowballs around like a crazy person.

Suddenly I felt a chill go through my body (and no, it wasn't because of the cold. Okay, maybe a little bit) and I immediately began to hurry up the hill. I made it near the front of the line, just next to Boromir, and waited. I knew this scene in the movie: Boromir would pick up the Ring the moment Frodo took a tumble down the mountain, and he would be all creepy and touchy feely about it.

I had to stop him. I had to –

Wait? Was it really a good idea if I did this? Would it change the plot of the story; how badly would it be affected if Boromir had one less obsessed moment? Ah screw it, I had to try! As soon as I was finished thinking this, I heard Frodo let out a startled yelp, and he went tumbling down the mountain. I became very aware that Boromir had disappeared from my side, and was walking slowly down the mountain, and picked up the Ring.

Everyone was staring at Boromir in tense silence, and Aragorn spoke slowly. "Boromir, give the Ring to Frodo." I noticed his hand had strayed to his sword and I began to worry. I felt my feet begin to move, and I was aware that I was now walking down the mountain at a very fast pace, straight towards Boromir.

Boromir had no idea that I was practically right behind him now. "Tis a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing; such a little –" he never finished his sentence, because I suddenly reached out and grabbed the Ring from him, chain and all. Boromir was so startled that he let go of the Ring almost instantly. With the cursed thing now in my grasp, and hurried down the mountain and over to Frodo. I was very aware of the immense cold weight of the evil little thing as I passed it back to him.

"Here Frodo, keep it safe," I said warningly and the hobbit nodded a little nervously. I looked up at Aragorn and found he was staring at me with interest. His hand was no longer on his sword, and he looked at ease. I smiled at him, and turned away to walk up the mountain back to where I had been before. I noticed that the others were staring at me as well. Boromir was still in a slight daze, and as I passed him I spoke.

"Boromir, shows over, time to move." I jostled his shoulder, and he shook his head, blinking. He then turned to look at me once, and our gazes held for a moment, before we continued on our way.

_OoOoO_

The rest of the hike up the mountain went relatively smoothly, despite the fact it got colder and colder as we ascended the great snowy mass. I was getting colder and colder with each passing second, and I could tell that the Hobbits weren't fairing any better than I. I could only imagine how cold their poor little feet must've been, since they were completely bare.

Finally, we made it to our destination: the angry little path along the mountainside that I knew would be covered in an a couple extra feet of snow soon enough. We were all waist deep in the snow, and I was almost literally freezing my butt off. To my right, Legolas strolled by over the snow. _Stupid elf_, I thought jealously as he did. Suddenly I heard it: Saruman's voice on the wind. _Ah shit_, I thought angrily.

"There is a fell voice on the air!" Legolas called out. _Thank you Captain Obvious_, I managed to think as the mountain gave a violent shake.

"It's Saruman!" Gandalf yelled, and we flattened ourselves against the wall as snow poured down past us.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain!" Boromir yelled, "Gandalf, we must go back; and take the West Road to my city!" Bad idea, _very _bad idea.

"No!" Gandalf yelled, and he pressed on. I didn't move, and I could hear, somewhere in the back of my mind, Boromir yelling at me to move, but I couldn't. I knew exactly what was about to happen, and instead of moving, I threw myself against the wall, and braced myself for the inevitable.

_BOOM!_ There was an explosion somewhere above us, and snow began falling down upon us in heavy clumps. I screamed loudly as I was hit with a few tons of snow, and it went down the back of my housecoat and t-shirt, hitting my bare back. I was then engulfed in total darkness.

I struggled to move, to breathe, to do _anything_, but it was impossible. I kicked my legs, and I felt myself move up a couple of inches, but it wasn't much. It was so cold now; so cold… I could feel my eyes getting heavy…

Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed me, and I was being yanked out of the snow by Boromir, who was totally ignoring me, and yelling to Gandalf. "This will be the death of the Hobbits Gandalf! _We must go back!_" His grip on me tightened, and it hurt a little.

Gandalf was silent for a moment, before Gimli spoke up. "Gandalf, we could go through the mines of Moria; we have no other choice it seems."

Gandalf remained silent, and I knew he was thinking it over. I knew he was thinking about the Balrog that stalked the mines, and that it would find us, and I knew what he intended to do when it did. I remained silent throughout all this, even though I knew exactly what was going to happen.

Gandalf finally spoke, "Let the Ring bearer decide," he said softly, looking at Frodo, "Frodo?"

My heart was beating rapidly, though I knew what Frodo's decision would be. I only hoped that, by some fluke, I survived the journey that lay ahead of us through those hellish mines.

Frodo answered after a while. "We will go through the mines." I saw Gandalf close his eyes slowly, and take a deep breath in.

"So be it," was all he said. We then turned around and began to head back. As we did, Boromir gripped me to him in an iron hold, guiding me along with my body pressed closely to his chest. His eyes never looked at me, and they stayed straight ahead; his mouth in a straight line. He looked angry, but at the same he looked fierce. I was very confused, but I didn't complain. Yeah, he could be a complete ass, but ever since I had taken the Ring from him and given it back to Frodo, I had noticed his eyes had never left me the rest of the way up the mountain up until now. My insides squirmed, but in a good way; was that butterflies I felt? Why was it that even though I knew about his fate, that I knew he was kind of corrupted, and that he wanted the Ring for himself, I still loved his character so much? Wait; was it even his character I loved?

Aw, _crap!_

**A/N: Here is Chapter three! This took me a while XD I apologize if it's kinda bleh, I am sick and sore so I was half asleep doing this XD Either way, I hope you all enjoyed it! :D And thank you to my lovely reviewers :D**


	4. I hate Mines

**A/N: Sorry for such a long delay guys! Term ends soon, so I have to work my ass off in school at the moment. But here is chapter 4! :D I hope everyone likes it! **

Chapter Four

I hate Mines

As we made our way back down the mountain, my mind was reeling. What would happen now? Was I even going to survive the next event? That, and what the hell would I do when I smelt the decay in the mines? I had never smelt anything rotting before, so I knew I would do one of three things: faint, throw up, or just run away, none of which appealed to me.

My teeth chattered as Boromir continued to guide me down the mountain, his grip on me still hard as iron. He was still avoiding my gaze, and I decided it was best not to say anything. I just allowed him to lead me down the mountain, and towards our certain fate.

As we walked, I observed my companions. Gandalf was hobbling ahead, and speaking with Frodo. I knew he was asking him about the One Ring, and I knew Gandalf was thinking about the Balrog. I also knew Gandalf knew exactly what he was going to do when the friggin' thing appeared. Maybe I should...? No! I couldn't afford to mess anything up with this story. If I did, Lord only knew how much the story would be altered. But then that meant Boromir had to die... Damn, what was I going to do?

We finally ascended over a huge stony hill, and Gimli announced that we had arrived at Moria. My eyes took in the great site before me: the walls were enormous, and they climbed higher than my eye could see through the fog that surrounded us. They were a deep grey, which was almost looked black; they were the most ominous things I had _ever_ seen, and my stomach churned. My eyes then turned downward, and I saw the eerie black lake near the edge of the walls. I thought I saw the surface ripple as we made our way towards the walls, and I shuddered. I knew _exactly_ what was going to come out of that water soon, and it terrified me. Have I mentioned I hate water? No? Well I do. Deep water scares me; always has, and now I had a perfectly good reason to be afraid. Look what deep water housed! Angry giant squids! And not the cool ones like in Harry Potter! Ugh, I _hate_ water.

We finally came to the stop I knew we would stop at, and Gandalf before to feel around the wall. I decided now would be a good time to rest, and I flopped down on a nearby boulder. I knew this scene would take a while, so I got good and comfortable.

My mind wandered back to that stupid lake as Gandalf was busy running his fingers over the wall, until the moon came out, and that beautiful door I love from the movie appeared. I mean honestly, have you _seen_ that door? It's _gorgeous!_ Tolkien really did an amazing job drawing that thing; he was a genius.

Gushing aside, I kept my gaze fixed nervously on the now still black water. I could almost _feel_ that stupid tentacle thing watching us as we waited there for Gandalf to figure out the riddle.

"Speak friend and enter," Gandalf muttered, "well that seems simple enough."

"What does it mean?" Pippin asked.

Gandalf smiled, "Well it is very simple, if you are a friend you merely speak the password, and the door will open."

"Here we go..." I muttered to myself, which earned me a funny look from Boromir. I turned my eyes back towards the water, which I noticed had suddenly begun to ripple. My eyes snapped in the direction of Merry and Pippin, who were throwing rocks into the water, disturbing it. I leapt to my feet to stop them, but thankfully Aragorn got there first, and grabbed Pippin's arm to stop him from throwing another rock.

"Do not disturb the water!" Aragorn hissed at the young hobbit, who looked confused.

"Why?" He asked innocently, and Aragorn looked grave.

"We do not know what evil lurks beneath the surfaces of the deep," he replied.

"You can say _that_ again," I said, walking up to them. Aragorn smiled pleasantly at me and he walked over to Sam, and began to explain to him that he had to let Bill, his pony, go. (Saddest. Scene. Ever.)

Just then, Frodo jumped up. "It's a riddle!" He exclaimed, "Speak "friend" and enter! What's the elvish word for friend?" He asked Gandalf, who looked slightly amused.

"_Mellon_," said Gandalf clearly, and at that the stone door creaked and opened before our eyes.

I immediately ushered Merry and Pippin ahead of me, trying to get us as far away from the lake as possible, since I knew _exactly_ what was about to happen. We hurried forward into the mine, while Gimli was ahead of us, ranting about how awesome Moria was. Oh poor Gimli, he has no idea... I had taken only a few steps into the mine, when the foul smell of decay hit my nostrils. Sadly, I did one of those three things.

I doubled over and vomited all over the floor.

It smelled _so_ bad. Like old fish, sewage, and burning hair. Also death; it smelled like death. The smell choked me and made my eyes water. Boromir was at my side within a second.

"Kayla!" He said sharply, "Are you alright? Are you sick?"

"T-this is no mine!" I managed to choke out, pointing with a shaking hand. Boromir straightened and looked around.

"It is a tomb..." he whispered in grave fear.

Gimli raced away from us, howling in agony at the carnage that lay before us. There were dozens, if not hundreds of rotting dwarf corpses around us. They littered the floor, and hung from the walls and down the stairs. Arrows riddled the floor, imbedded within the corpses, or sticking out of the walls. Swords and shields lay forgotten on the floor, and helmets were gathering dust nearby. I took an instinctive step backwards when Legolas grabbed a nearby arrow.

"Goblins!" He cried out, and immediately knocked is bow. I grabbed my bow as everyone began shuffling backwards. I began to count in my head.

_Three..._ I could hear the _swish_ of a large tentacle. _Two..._it was over the rocky floor now.

_One._

"AHHH!" Frodo shrieked as he was lifted into the air by a _massive_ tentacle. I couldn't help but scream as he was. I mean really, that thing was _huge!_

Its ugly head was out of the water now, and its huge, sharp beak was snapping hungrily at the poor, defenceless little hobbit. He was screaming his head off, and flailing like mad.

"STRIDER!" Sam screamed, and Aragorn whirled around, racing in their direction.

"Kayla, Legolas, AIM FOR ITS EYES!" Aragorn yelled over his shoulder at us as he, Boromir, and Gimli raced into the water, hacking at the huge tentacles like maniacs.

We did exactly as we were told. This was the first time I had ever used a real bow before. I was used to using Nerf Guns, or Paint Ball Guns; this was ridiculous! Thankfully (and I mean that) I caught on pretty quick. I pulled back my first arrow and let it fly. Though it didn't hit the thing in the eye, it hit just above it, causing the giant creature to shriek in pain, and to flail some more, shaking poor Frodo like a ragdoll.

Legolas expertly shot the creature right in the moments after me, and I saw blood shoot from the wound. _Gross_, I thought in disgust, as I knocked another arrow into my bow. This time when I let it fly, it hit the giant squid-thing in its other eye.

"God damn lucky shot for the win!" I screeched, ecstatic. Legolas threw me a confused looked by my language, and I grinned at him. Suddenly his faced changed from confusion to fear.

"Lady Kayla!" The elven prince cried out, pointing. I shot my eyes in the direction he was pointing to find a huge tentacle coming flying down towards me.

_Shit_.

The tentacle grabbed me around the waist, but instead of just holding on like the other was with Frodo; it instead flung me into the air at a _very_ high speed. I think I flew about twenty feet, before I smashed into the water.

The first thing I noticed when I hit the water was how fucking _cold_ it was. It chilled me right to my bones, and bloody hell did it hurt! It was black too, blacker than I imagined it would be. I was submerged almost instantly, but thankfully not knocked out. I began to kick my legs frantically and I was aware of how silent it was underneath the water. However that facade was broken when I surfaced from the water to have the sounds of battle attack my ears like a wave. (Ha, water pun.)

I could hear someone yelling, but I couldn't decipher who it was at that moment, since I was too busy trying not to drown. I doggie-paddled all the way back to shore, miraculously avoiding the squid monster's massive tentacles. I dragged myself onto the shore, gasping for breath, when I felt someone grab me around the waist, and I was hauled back into the stupid cavern of the stupid mine that was going to try to kill us; or worse, try to make me barf again.

I was immediately immersed into the heavy darkness of the mine, upon hearing the words of Gandalf in the dark.

"We have but one choice," said the aged wizard, as he lit his staff with a white crystal that cast much light around. "We must face the dark of Moria. Be on your guard," he admonished, "There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world."

"And tentacle monsters," I grumbled, while wringing out my now soaking wet braid. The person who had been holding my waist (it was Boromir) now let go.

"Are you alright Kayla?" He asked, furrowing his brow, "You were thrown so far."

I nodded, while wiping water from my eyes. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks Boromir," I shot him a grin, and he smiled back at me. I picked up my bow (which was surprisingly unbroken) and we set off.

"Quietly now," Gandalf whispered gravely, "It is a four day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."

_Not likely,_ I thought miserably. In the next few days that would pass, I would be forced to not only see Gandalf fall into the chasm of Khazad-dûm, but I would have to fight a cave troll, and run like a mother-fucker from a Balrog. Worst. Road trip. Ever.

We made our way up some stairs, passing carefully over the half decomposing bodies of the dwarves around us. I kept glancing at Gimli, who looked gloomy. Poor guy, I wanted to give him a hug, but I figured that may make him feel worse, so instead I stuck close to him, and occasionally patted his shoulder. This proved effective enough, since he would occasionally smile sadly at me over his shoulder. I really felt bad for him, having to see a large part of his kin slaughtered so brutally. It was sickening.

We continued, and it took every ounce of willpower that I possessed to _never _complain about the accursed height up we were at. Did I mention I also hate heights? One time when I was at Disneyland with my family, I was peer pressured to go on the Tower of Terror at California Theme Park. I thought, "Sure, no big deal. It looks cool. Plus I'll have bragging rights!"

Wrong.

That thing had scared the poop out of me! I'd started screaming as soon as we started moving _up_ for God's Sake! And even when we were stationary and not falling or shooting up at all, I kept on screaming. After we'd gotten off, my legs were shaking like mad as I'd stumbled into the Gift Shop outside the ride. I'd shuffled over to a corner away from everyone and burst into tears. Yeah, I was _that_ scared. I just stood there and bawled like a huge baby for about five minutes, wailing for my then boyfriend who I'd had to leave back home while I'd been away. He was a sweet guy... But anyway where was I? Oh yeah, the stupid ride. After we were done at Disneyland, we'd had to take a _rickety, old, _and _cramped_ plane back home. Needless to say I nearly crapped myself everytime the pilot said, "Oh yeah...TURBULANCE!" God damn family peer pressure. NEVER AGAIN.

So now here I was, stuck walking up some _extremely_ narrow stairs into a mine that I knew was out to get me. Not to mention is was a several thousand foot drop if I fell from the stairs. Thusly, I made a big show of climbing up the stairs on my hands and knees, taking each step _very _slowly (we're talking like two minutes per step here) and I think I was beginning to _seriously_ annoy the rest of the Fellowship.

Finally (and I mean _finally_) after what seemed like forever, after I had managed to climb about three flights of narrow stone stairs, and after the Fellowship had quick gawking at the mithril deposits every five seconds, Gandalf finally spoke the line I had been waiting to hear for what felt like a zillion years.

"I have no memory of this place." The old wizard had this confused look on his face that made me want to hug him (and not just because we got to stop and I could finally breathe easy. Well, easy considering the air was rank with decay. Yuck).

We all sat down on the rocks and boulders that littered the floor around us as Gandalf perched himself upon a boulder, and glared intently at the many doors that faced us, trying to figure out which one to take. I say myself as close to Gandalf as I could, so that when the time came, I would be able to hear Frodo and Gandalf's upcoming conversation. This scene was still one of my favourites in the movie, considering this was when Gandalf gave Frodo some of the best advice I had ever heard uttered from the human mouth (wait, was Gandalf even human? Der, no, he was a _wizard!_)

As I sat and waited, I could feel someone watching me. Immediately I panicked, thinking maybe it was Gollum, since this was also the scene that Frodo noticed that he'd been following us for a time now. But when I turned my head to look, I instead found the curious (not to mention lovely, have I mentioned his eyes are lovely) grey eyes of Boromir once again watching me. We made eye contact, and I immediately lowered mine, blushing. I heard him grunt in embarrassment, and he too looked pointedly at a wall. My insides were squirming again, and I felt a silly smile pass over my face. Suddenly I heard Pippin mutter to Merry.

"Why do Boromir and Kayla keep looking at one another Merry?" Pippin whispered, and I felt my cheeks burn red hot.

"What do you mean?" Merry hissed back.

"She'll look at him, then he'll look up, and then she'll look away; then he'll do it. What do you suppose it going on?"

"I don't know Pip," said Merry in an exasperated tone which made me, though still embarrassed, smile a tad. Pippin was quiet for a few minutes, before speaking again, this time saying the funny line I remembered from the movie.

"Merry?"

Sigh. "What?"

"Are we lost?"

"No," Merry replied.

"I think we are," said Pippin sadly.

"Ssh!" Merry hissed, "Gandalf's thinkin'." More silence, and then.

"Merry?"

Angry sigh. "_What?_"

"I'm hungry."

I chuckled to myself at this, and glanced in the direction of Frodo, who has run over to Gandalf to warn him about Gollum. I minded to myself for a bit, so they wouldn't notice that I was eavesdropping.

"I wish the ring had never come to me," I heard Frodo say sadly; "I wish none of this had happened."

Gandalf turned slowly to the young hobbit, and said the words that I applied to my everyday life continuously. "So do all who live to see such times; but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." My heart swelled with happiness as I heard Gandalf utter those words. I mean come on, they have _so_ much _power!_ Don't they? I smiled to myself, and did something I'd never thought I'd do: I openly quoted Shakespeare.

"Oh, brave new world that hath such people in it," I whispered to myself happily, "what an adventure I've landed myself in. I am truly blessed." At that moment Gandalf spoke again.

"Oh! It's that way," he chuckled and stood up, gripping his staff before him. The rest of the Fellowship leapt to their feet.

"He's remembered!" Merry said happily, as we all joined Gandalf at the entrance to the stone door he chose.

"No," the old wizard chuckled, "but the air does not smell so foul here." He turned to Merry, placing a withered hand on his shoulder. "When in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose. "

"True facts," I added, grinning as we descended the stone stairs.

"Here now, let me risk a little more light," said Gandalf, and the beautiful stone on his staff glowed brighter, revealing the magnificence that beheld us. I think my jaw actually hit the floor as the rest of the Fellowship gasped in unison.

"Dwarrowdelf," was all I could say, since my tongue seemed to be doing flips in my mouth. It was the most beautiful, epic place I had _ever_ seen. The immense stone pillars towered above us, arching into the ceiling, which loomed above us, fading away into the blackness. The room we had entered yawned for miles and miles, bleeding into blackness after we could see no farther. I could hear the wind whistling somewhere near us as we stood there, staring.

"There's an eye opener, and no mistake." Sam breathed out in awe and we all nodded stupidly. In my head I could almost hear the soundtrack playing in the background we stood there, drinking in this magnificent sight.

Suddenly, Gimli let out a half roar, have cry, and hurtled off through the ruined city. "Gimli!" Gandalf cried out after the dwarf, and I instinctively hurried after him.

"Kayla!" Boromir called after me as I raced after the anguished dwarf into the place I knew the first really epic battle of this story was about to take place.

Our feet make small echoes as we hurried into the tomb of Balin, Gimli's cousin, who he had yet to find out was dead. I hung back now, watching in sadness as Gimli stumbled into the room, falling to his knees at the foot of the large, stone tomb.

"No..." the dwarf whimpered, his voice shaking, "No!" The rest of the Fellowship had joined us now, and they were standing around us in grave silence. Gandalf was the first to move, as he slowly approached the grave

"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin; Lord of Moria." Gandalf hung his head, "he is dead then."

"Oh God, I'm so sorry Gimli," I whispered lamely, patting his stubby shoulder.

"It is as I feared," Gandalf said quietly, as he approached a nearby skeleton. He handed Pippin his hat and staff, and pried a large, dusty book from the bony hands of the cadaver. He opened the book, and dust went everywhere. I glanced out of the corner of my eye at Pippin, who was already eyeing the skeleton on the well. _Ah shit._

"We cannot linger; we must move on," I heard Legolas say to Aragorn as Gandalf cleared his throat and began reading the passage from the large book that sent chills up my spine.

"They have taken the bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates… but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums… drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming…" My heart was thudding so loudly in my head now, and when the _CRASH_ from Pippin poking the skeleton and it fell down the well hit my ears, I thought it was still my heart. Then the reality hit me, and I panicked again.

Big battle. Shit.

The sound of the falling bones echoed throughout the tomb; throughout the _entire_ mine. Pippin winced with every loud _clang_. When the sounds stopped, Gandalf stormed forward, snatching his hat and staff from the terrified little hobbit.

"_Fool of a Took!_" Gandalf raged, "Throw yourself in next time, and rid us of your stupidity!" I had never liked that line in the movie, and I actually opened my mouth now.

"It wasn't his fault Gandalf!" I defended Pippin, who looked extremely grateful,"It was an accident, surely." Gandalf turned his glare upon me now, but before he could utter a reply, there was another sound that nearly scared the pants off me.

_BOOM. BOOM._

We all froze, listening. Frodo gripped the handle of his blade, Sting, and yanked it out. Its blade was glowing bright blue.

"Orcs!" Legolas cried, grabbing his bow, and Boromir took off at a dead sprint for the door, just as two arrows nearly shot him in the face. I grabbed my own bow, and knocked it, preparing myself for what was to come now.

Aragorn and Legolas went to aid Boromir in shutting the door as tight as they could, and Boromir whirled, his face grim.

"They have a cave troll," he said, his voice riddled with annoyance.

"Ah shit I forgot about that..." I muttered to myself, and I saw Gandalf looked sharply at me. _Shit, did he know?_

The door was barricaded as best as we could, and Gimli leapt defiantly onto the tomb of his cousin. "Let them come!" He growled, "There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws blood!"

We began to hear squealing and roaring as the enemies drew nearer, and I was beginning to completely freak out. I hurried to the back of the group, and put myself in front of the hobbits. I also managed to grab a convenient sword that lay nearby from a fallen dwarf, since I knew I would be utterly screwed if an orc or goblin got to me and all I had was my bow. I readied myself for the worst, and waited.

The first orc that tried to break through the door was shot in the face by Legolas, and it screeched, disappearing from view. I began to count down in my head as more of the door was broken apart, and more orcs were shot by Legolas, Aragorn, and even one by me. I kept my eyes fixed ahead, and occasionally to Boromir, who was flipping his sword around his hand like he does in the movie, and looking fiercer than ever before. At last the door was obliterated, and the battle began.

Goblins and orcs swarmed into the chamber when the door exploded, and I dodged a large piece of wood that threatened to hack my head off. Boromir charged forward and stabbed an orc in the gut, while Legolas and Aragon showered them with arrows. I took aim and shot a few myself, but I mostly stayed with the hobbits, wanting nothing more than to protect them from any arrows the enemies decided to shoot at us.

Roars split the air as the monsters and the Fellowship collided in a storm of carnage. Black and red blood soaked the ground, and arrows whizzed past my face every second. I shot a few more orcs, when the air around us exploded in stone and dust. I was thrown backwards, and the hobbits scattered behind pillars. I heard Boromir yell, and Aragorn shout something, but then the world went quiet. There was a dull ringing in my ears, kind of like the after effects of a grenade. I sat up, dazed, and looked around. To my complete horror, I heard a low grunt, and then a dull roar as the murderous cave troll burst into the room, tearing apart every bit of the door that had remained after the first wave of enemies had entered the tomb.

This was no longer a battle. This was chaos.

The cave troll was unlike anything I could've imagined in lieu of the movie. It was monstrous, murderous, and without mercy. It even went so far as to smash its own masters into the stone walls as it stormed towards us. Being now unfortunately out of arrows, I whipped out my sword that I had taken from the floor, and attacked. I managed to stop the thing from using its chain to snare Boromir, by stabbing it in the foot. It roared, and tried to kick me in the face. I side stepped, and its ugly foot missed my face, but still hit me in the shoulder, knocking me down nonetheless. I was smashed into the floor, and momentarily dazed.

I guess the troll took this as a good sign, for he was now focused on Frodo, and I knew what was to come now. I was still very dazed and my back and head ached, so all I could do was wait. After what felt like forever, I heard the "ugh!" from Frodo, and the screams from Merry and Pippin. I then heard Legolas's arrow whiz through the air, and the huge monster groan dumbly. Its body crashed into the floor so hard I think I actually bounced.

When the dust had settled, I tried sitting up. I managed, though not without almost barfing again. I touched the back of my head, and when I looked at my hand, I saw it was red with blood; _my_ blood. Oh dear God. I felt vomit threaten to force its way out of my mouth, but I swallowed it back down. Gross.

I staggered to my feet, and felt a hand grip my elbow, and Boromir was talking to me. "Kayla, we need to leave now, are you alright?" I blinked a couple of times, trying to clear my head.

"B-but what about Frodo?" I asked groggily, "he got _stabbed?_"

"He's fine, he had Mithril, now we have to _go!_" Boromir didn't let me talk again. He grabbed my hand and started dragging me from the room as Gandalf yelled to us over the sounds of more orcs.

"To the bridge of Khazad-dûm, hurry!" We tore out of the room, and down another stony hall, running faster than I'd ever run in my life. Above us, around us, and below us, orcs and goblins literally exploded out of the ground, crawling around us; encircling us.

Once we were completely encircled, and all hoped seemed lost, there was a deafening rumble from underneath us. _Shit, Balrog time_. The enemies around us scattered and screeched, running away back under the ground from whence they came. I swallowed slowly, my head still throbbing, and my heart pounding. I could see the deathly glow of the Balrog as it neared us, and I could feel its heat. Even though it was so far away, I was beginning to sweat inside my pyjamas.

_BOOM._

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked, his voiced hushed. I was beginning to freak out now; we didn't have time for Gandalf's stupid speech about this demon that wanted to eat us! I had to act, screw keeping a low profile.

_BOOM_.

"Balrog!" I finally shrieked, "RUN!" I then tore down the hall, towards the nearest door, and raced down the rock path. Behind me, I heard the loud roar of the Balrog, and the running footsteps of the Fellowship as they followed me. We finally came to the part which I had _not_ been looking forward to: the crumbling stairs.

The Fellowship wasted no time. Legolas jumped across the broken stairs first, and after he called to Gandalf, the old wizard jumped too. They now both stood across from us, encouraging the rest of us to jump. My heart was pounding again, and this time it was pure, merciless terror. I hate heights, a _lot_. This was so uncool.

An arrow nearly clipped my ear and I yelped. Legolas retaliated instantly, shooting the orcs who were trying to snipe us, and they fell into the abyss. Boromir then grabbed Merry and Pippin, and together they leaped across the chasm, landing safely on the other side. I was next. Terrified as I was, I took a few steps back, and took a running start. Rule of thumb when jumping across large evil chasm that wants to eat you: do not stop running, just jump. I obeyed this rule, and miraculously made it to the other side without killing myself. I stumbled forward, and sat down on the stair in a heap, breathing hard. As Merry and Pippin were asking if I was alright, Aragorn threw Sam across the chasm, and when to throw Gimli, who stubbornly held up a hand.

"Nobody tosses a dwarf!" _Oh just you wait Gimli_, I thought with a smirk, _you're gonna love Helm's Deep._ The dwarf leapt across the chasm, and was grabbed by the beard by Legolas, while screaming, "Not the beard!"

After Gimli was across, Aragorn and Frodo prepared to jump, but as they were about to, the stone stair beneath them began to crumble, and I watched in horror as they nearly fell. All the while orcs were shooting at us, and Legolas was doing his best to fend them off. I could hear the Balrog roaring again as the stair that Aragorn and Frodo stood upon crumbled some more. None of us were breathing now, as we watched them. Finally Aragorn and Frodo leaned forward far enough, and the stair broke completely, and they were thrown forward, and onto the stair we were all on.

As soon they hit our stair, we were all off running again. We tore down the rest of the stairs in that accursed mine, and onto the last stretch. The whole while I was thinking in my head, _any second now, the Balrog will appear behind us. God damn_.

It then got hot; and I mean _hot_. It felt like my skin was melting, but I didn't dare turn around. I knew exactly what was behind me, and it roared with a bestial vigour. Finally my curiosity got the better of me, and I turned.

Bad idea.

That thing was enormous, and fire exploded from its very pores. Its horned head scraped the ceiling, and it flashed its huge, white hot tongue, roaring all the while. You know that giant demon in the last show in Fantasia, that Disney movie? That's what the Balrog always reminded me of, and that thing scared the poop outta me as a kid, so imagine my reaction when I saw that thing?

I have never screamed so loudly in my life, and I turned tail and ran like the terrified little girl I was. Ahead of us, I could see the bridge of Khazad-dûm, and I felt my stomach do a flip flop as we neared it. I don't like heights remember? This was _not_ going to be fun.

Everyone was racing across the bridge ahead of me, except Gandalf, who was lagging behind for reasons which I alone knew. The rest of the Fellowship was screaming at me to run, but I couldn't move. I began to feel _very_ dizzy, and the world began to tilt. I took a deep breath, and tried to steady myself, but it was really hard. I thought I was going to faint, when I heard something.

"Kayla, for the greater good of our companions, _run!_" I turned to see Gandalf looking at me.

"What?" I said, confused, my eyes widening, and my dizziness dissipating.

"You _must_ continue on Kayla," The wizard said, "you _must _be part of this quest, do you understand?"

My mouth fell open, "Y-you knew all along didn't you?"

Gandalf smiled, but didn't say a word; he didn't need to. Instead, he shoved me along the bridge, and I amazingly raced across without anymore dizziness. All I could think about were Gandalf's last words. He had known; I knew he had. He had always known. Was I _supposed_ to be here then? Was this not just some weird accident? I had no idea, but in honour of Gandalf, I was going to find out if it killed me. Well, preferably not kill me, but you get the point.

I made it to the other side, and Boromir grabbed me by the shoulders, "Are you crazy?" He yelled, "You could've been killed! Are you alright Kayla, please answer me!" He had a wild look in his eyes, and it confused me. Before I could answer, he drew me into him in a huge hug that both crushed and comforted me. We stood like that for a second, when suddenly there was a yell from behind us. We broke apart and whirled to see Gandalf facing the Balrog, his staff glowing in one hand, and a sword in the other.

Frodo's eye widened, "GANDALF!" He screamed.

"YOU CANNOT PASS!" Gandalf was yelling, as he wielded his staff and sword. "I am the servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anòr. The Dark Fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun!" The Balrog's fiery whip came crashing down upon Gandalf, who blocked it, a fierce look on his wrinkled face. This was so heartbreaking, and I felt Boromir's hand come up to my shoulder; his hand was shaking like mad, but I couldn't turn my head to look at him, I was too mesmerized by the awful scene unfolding before me.

"Go back to the shadows," Gandalf growled. The Balrog hissed, and to me it sounded almost like a laugh as it cracked its whip again, taking a step onto the bridge of Khazad-dûm. It was at that moment that Gandalf screamed the most epic line ever:

"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"Gandalf slammed his staff onto the stone bridge's floor, and there was an explosion of white light. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as we watched this, and I felt a yell rip from me. The Balrog took another step forward, cracking its whip again, but the bridge began to fall away beneath its feet and with an almighty roar, it fell from the bridge and down into the shadow beneath. Gandalf let out a long breath, and began to turn away from the now broken bridge. Suddenly, as I knew, the fiery whip of the Balrog snaked up over the broken bridge's edge, and snagged Gandalf's ankle. The old wizard was pulled off balance, and fell back, so he only hung from the bridge now in a white knuckle death grip. Frodo started running forward, screaming, but Boromir seized him from around the waist, and hauled him back, despite his pleas. At this moment Gandalf was trying to pull himself back up, but it was no use. As he slipped back again, he regarded us with one final look.

"Fly you fools." Were his last words, before he let go of the edge, and plunged into shadow.

Frodo unleashed such a tortured scream that I felt it chill me to my bones. Boromir screamed at Aragorn, who was struck dumb by what had just happened, and we all ran, though heartbroken, from the Mines of Moria, all the while evading the arrows of the still pissed off orcs and goblins. We burst from the mines and into the cold afternoon air of the outside world. The light was so blinding I was momentarily stunned. When my vision cleared, my heart went out to the hobbits.

Sam was seated upon the ground, tears pouring down his face, and Merry was clutching Pippin, who was sobbing on the rock covered ground. Legolas looked stunned and lost, and Gimli just stood there, trembling. Boromir was standing there, ad odd expression on his face, and Aragorn was telling Legolas to get everyone up. I just stood there, trying to absorb what had just happened. I knew I should've been crying, but since I knew what was to happen, I couldn't, and it pained me. I really hoped I didn't look like I didn't care about Gandalf, though I think I probably did.

I was jolted out of my reverie when Boromir snapped at Aragorn, who was trying to get the hobbits up. "Give them a moment for pity's sake!" He cried, and I walked over to him, patting his arm to try and calm him. He turned his grey eyes upon my expressionless face, and he calmed instantly. Our gazes held as Aragorn spoke.

"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs!" He said gravely, "We must reach the woods of Lóthlorien. Come Boromir, Legolas, Gimli get them up." Aragorn turned to Sam, and I saw what a tortured expression Aragorn bore. "On your feet Sam," he said kindly to the little hobbit, who nodded numbly. I turned to see Aragorn approach Frodo, who had the most heartbroken expression I had ever seen, and I felt my heart go out to him. At last, everyone was up, and we set off again.

"Well," I murmured to myself, "off to Lóthlorien it seems. Elves here we come."

**A/N: WHOA. Sorry that took so long guys! I started this yesterday after doing a HUGE project on this book actually XD This is the longest chapter I have written thus far I think! Woo! So I hope you all enjoy it, and thank you to all my lovely reviewers and watchers! You guys are awesome!**


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